2016 NISSAN GT-R® 45th Anniversary Gold Edition

FEBRUARY 04, 2015

The Very First GT-R Wasn't a GT-R At All

When it was first introduced in 1964, the GT-R wasn't actually a GT-R. It was called the Skyline—a name familiar to all Nissan performance aficionados—and it was a luxury sedan. It wasn't until 1969 that the first performance-bred Skyline was unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show. It was still a sedan, but it now boasted an inline six engine and (impressive for the day) 160 horsepower.

The first two-door model was introduced in 1971. It was a successful launch and a well-received car, but a global gasoline crisis and a move towards stricter emissions standards put the Skyline GT-R on the shelf for a time.

The Skyline GT-R went through many iterations in the following years, but it wasn’t until 1989 that the real precursor to the GT-R of today was introduced.

The 1989 Skyline had all-wheel drive and an inline six that pumped out 280 horsepower. It still wasn’t sold in America, but it was (and still is) a legend in the American tuner community, and a few of them were legally imported and converted to meet US emissions regulations.

In 2008, the GT-R finally, officially, landed on American roads. Nissan dropped the Skyline name and dropped in a twin-turbo V6 that put out 473 horsepower and propelled the coupe from zero to 60 in under three seconds. It raised eyebrows, it raised heartbeats, and it garnered a trophy case of awards and accolades.

The GT-R in Popular Culture

A car—a supercar—like the GT-R tends to draw a lot of attention, and over the years it has popped up in places other than the road. Several GT-R models have appeared in the ongoing video game series "Need For Speed".

Both the GT-R and Skyline are featured in the wildly popular "Fast and Furious" movie franchise. Dozens of different versions of the GT-R appear in the revolutionary driving simulator/game "Gran Turismo."

Nissan GT-R Heritage

2016 GT-R® 45th ANNIVERSARY GOLD EDITION

It certainly doesn’t look it, but the GT-R is now 45 years old. To celebrate this milestone, we built a 45th Anniversary Gold Edition GT-R for 2016. This extremely rare model—just 30 were made available in the United States —features a historic Silica Brass exterior color, a 45th anniversary emblem on the center console, and a gold-tone VIN plate in the engine bay.